


Santa, Tell Me If He Really Cares

by xalexudinovx



Series: Just A Few Little Words [4]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Christmas, Denial of Feelings, F/M, Fluff, Pre-Relationship, Season 2, happens between 2x08 and 2x09, maybe canon divergent? idk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2019-01-04
Packaged: 2019-09-21 15:17:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17046080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xalexudinovx/pseuds/xalexudinovx
Summary: Kara receives a special invitation to the Children's Holiday Fest and runs into an unexpected surprise there. Christmas fluff and shenanigans ensue.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> MERRY CHRISTMAS!! *throws more fluff at you* 
> 
> Thank you to @IdontmindCiara for this prompt, I hope you all enjoy it! It definitely wasn't supposed to be this long or two parts, but....*shrugs* y'all are so lovely and patient with me, so this is the least I can do to reward you! This is meant to be canon compliant, but depending on if you think that this fic would change any of Karamel's later interactions in season 2, then it could also be canon divergent. But I did my best to fit it within canon, so this is still very much pre-relationship Karamel.
> 
> All mistakes are mine. Title from Ariana Grande's "Santa Tell Me"

Giant snowflakes hung from tall street lamps and bright lights were strung around the trees in National City Square, as well as the surrounding apartment buildings, shops, and restaurants. The enormous Christmas tree in the middle was fully adorned, branches heavy with tinsel, glittered ornaments, and enough lights to turn the tree into a massive beacon at night.

Kara smiled and let out a small sigh at the sight from where she hovered in the air, still mostly hidden from view in the thick cloud cover. She’d quickly come to love the holiday season after arriving on Earth, even if this time of year left her missing her parents and Krypton more than usual. But after the tragedy involving her father’s Medusa virus just a few weeks ago, the sentiment was particularly bittersweet this Christmas.

 _“Your parents’ legacy is not death and destruction, Kara Zor-El. It’s you.”_ J’onn’s words to her rang once more in her mind as they often had in the past several weeks. She prayed he was right. Now, perhaps more than ever, she felt the weight of responsibility on her shoulders, the urge to do more and somehow atone for the horrible things her parents had done.

Despite the heaviness lingering on her heart, Kara took special comfort in reflecting on the past year as Supergirl. It hadn’t been easy, but she was grateful nonetheless for the renewed sense of self and purpose that came from embracing her powers after struggling to fit into the mold of just Kara Danvers for so many years. And though the world still didn’t know that Kara Zor-El lay behind the mask, it still felt like a step closer to _herself_. For now, it was enough. The people of National City seemed to have grown to trust and respect Supergirl, and she hoped they no longer saw the bumbling amateur she used to be, but rather a symbol of hope and strength, a reminder that heroism came from a kind heart.

It was with that thought that she took a deep breath and began to descend towards the square below through the midday sky, white with fluffy clouds that promised to cover the city in a blanket of snow in time for Christmas.

With two days before the biggest holiday of the year, there were still plenty of harried shoppers out and about picking up presents or the final touches for Christmas dinner. However, today, most of the crowd in the square was gathered for the Children’s Holiday Fest, which included games, plenty of treats, a show by the National City Little Theatre, and of course, Santa. Restless children and weary parents formed a line that wrapped around a sectioned off area that enclosed a small raised platform set up next to the tree with a large comfy chair for Santa and dozens of fake presents carefully arranged to create an aesthetic background for photos.

Kara spotted Anna Bayern, the event coordinator, in the crowd next to the stage holding a clipboard in one hand and texting with the other and slightly adjusted direction, heading towards the woman. Though she and Anna had only spoken on the phone after Mayor Griffith (whose niece was the musical director at the theatre) had asked her to present the National City Little Theatre before their annual holiday musical performance, Kara’s first impression of her was nothing but stellar. Anna was witty, friendly, and likely the most organized person in National City, making her the perfect person to plan and execute all of the city’s community events, including the Children’s Holiday Fest.

“Dad, what’s that?”

“Mommy, look!”

“It’s Supergirl!”

The awed voices of children and adults alike brought a smile to Kara’s face as she neared the ground and she gave the crowd a friendly wave before finding a clearing near Anna and floating down for a soft landing. On the ground, the sounds and aromas of the festival were even more pronounced. Holiday classics blared through several speakers, mixing with the buzz of the crowd, and the scent of fresh hot chocolate, peppermint, and baked goods tickled Kara’s nose teasingly.

“Supergirl! We’re so happy you could make it,” Anna greeted her, adjusting her glasses after tucking her phone away to shake Kara’s hand.

“As promised,” Kara replied warmly. “Everything going well so far?”

“A few costume mishaps, but it’s nothing we haven’t seen before, so we were prepared,” Anna answered with a relieved smile. “They should be ready to take the stage in fifteen minutes. Thank you again, Supergirl, for doing this. It means a lot to the kids and the entire company.”

Kara beamed. “It’s truly my pleasure.”

“Feel free to grab some hot chocolate or treats in the meantime. Just be back here in fifteen minutes.”

“Sounds good.” Scanning the crowd, Kara laughed as she saw two young girls waving at her enthusiatically from where they were waiting in line for Santa and decided that hot chocolate could wait a few minutes. With one more brief glance towards Anna who gave her an encouraging smile, she headed for the girls.

After a round of hugs and exchanging of compliments where she admired their matching winter flower crowns and they oohed and aahed over her suit and “pretty hair,” Kara continued down the line, saying hello to parents and wishing them “Merry Christmas” and “Happy Holidays” while giving the kids high fives and more hugs.

“Are you here to see Santa too?” a little boy, no older than six years, asked her as she neared the front of the line, staring up at her with big brown eyes.

Kara chuckled, stooping down just enough in front of him. “Unfortunately, I think I may be a little too old to ask Santa for presents anymore,” she said, to which the boy giggled in response.

“But Santa’s old too so I think it’s okay, Supergirl.”

“Besides, it’s not fair if Santa doesn’t give someone a present just because they’re not a kid,” another girl with braids and a _Frozen_ pom pom hat added matter-of-factly as she stood next in line with what looked like her older sister.

“Well,” Kara began, “you do make a great point.” The girl flushed with pride. “Maybe you all can put in a good word for me with Santa.” That seemed to appease them, and Kara straightened, looking over at Santa just in time to see him boop a baby dressed in a reindeer onesie on the nose, prompting a toothless smile instantly taken advantage of by the photographer nearby.

There was something familiar about this Santa that she couldn’t quite put her finger on, she realized. It was obvious that he was younger and modifying his voice to sound more like what kids thought Santa sounded like, so it was hard to tell from that alone. He was good at it, she had to admit, and the kids either didn’t seem to notice or they didn’t mind. The white beard covered most of his face and the suit, complete with what was surely extra padding, disguised the rest of him from her normal vision.

The baby’s mother came forward to scoop him up, though he wasn’t particularly happy to part with Santa just yet. Luckily, a meltdown was safely avoided as Santa spoke softly to the baby and produced a brightly striped candy cane for the baby’s chubby hands to grab onto after which he went willingly into his mother’s arms.

The young girl with the _Frozen_ hat bounded forward for her turn with Santa while Kara chatted with the six-year-old boy about what he wanted for Christmas - a puppy, it turned out, because even though his mother told him he didn’t _need_ a puppy, he still _wanted_ one. With a laugh, Kara gently reminded him that a pet was a lot of responsibility and that he should make sure he’s ready to give a puppy the necessary love and care. His solemn nod and “I promise, Supergirl,” melted her heart.

Just as Kara was getting ready to slip away for some hot cocoa, the young girl currently with Santa hopped down from his lap and waved with a smile stretching from ear to ear.

“Supergirl, you’re next,” she called out cheerfully. “Santa said you can ask him for presents too.”

“Oh, no-no, that’s–I’m–umm–” Kara sputtered in surprise, while the little boy still next to her gasped in delight.

“You should ask Santa for a puppy too!” he squealed, jumping up and down. “Then our puppies can play together!”

Chuckles rippled through the line as his mother patted his head, giving Kara a smile. “Maybe Supergirl wants something else, Luis.”

Kara’s gaze shifted to Santa, staring at him unsure what to do, and then Santa _winked_ at her and her jaw dropped as it suddenly dawned on her.

 _Mon-El?_ _What in Rao’s name is he doing here?_ She hadn’t seen him very often since the week of Thanksgiving. _Since the kiss_ , her brain added, like a traitor, and she instantly flushed.

“Come on over, Supergirl,” Mon-El hollered theatrically, which only served to get the kids even more excited.

It felt like a challenge and her pride wasn’t about to let her back down from one, especially not one from a Daxamite, so she leveled a glare at him before clearing her throat and straightening her shoulders, deciding to play along for the kids. “Fine. I–”

“Nuh-uh,” Mon-El interrupted, wagging a finger at her. He beckoned her over and patted his leg, grinning wickedly as her pulse thumped in her veins. She should have known he wouldn’t let this go without milking the situation for all its worth.

“You have to sit on Santa’s lap, Supergirl,” a little girl with dark pigtails and a puffy purple marshmallow jacket chimed in rather unhelpfully.

Kara cleared her throat awkwardly looking around at the line and crowd of kids staring at her with expectant eyes and bright smiles. She didn’t dare lift her eyes higher to see the expressions on their parents’ faces. They were surely laughing at her. Her gaze drifted back to Mon-El who just smirked at her, waiting. Oh, this was definitely a challenge.

She walked the short distance over to Mon-El, telling herself repeatedly that she was only doing this for the kids and so that she wouldn’t hold up the line any longer and sat down on his thigh, feeling Mon-El’s warmth as his hand settled on her back, his fingers just brushing the ends of her hair. “I’m so getting you back for this,” she muttered low enough so only he could hear.

He just grinned and turned his attention to their audience. “Okay, kids, has Supergirl been good this year?”

“Yes!” came a chorus of high-pitched shouts mixed with giggles.

Mon-El stroked his fake white beard thoughtfully for a brief moment. “So, I shouldn’t give her a lump of coal for Christmas?”

“No!” More laughter spilled from the gathered crowd and Kara couldn’t stop her lips from quirking into a smile at the elated children until she noticed some of the parents with their phones out filming the exchange, in addition to the professional photographer who was happily snapping pictures of Supergirl sitting on Santa’s lap.

 _Oh, Rao,_ she thought, realizing that this would likely end up on the news one way or another _._

“All right, all right,” Mon-El relented with an extra jolly laugh at the kids before their eyes met again. “The wise citizens of National City have deemed you worthy of a gift this Christmas, Supergirl. What will it be?”

Seeing as any thought process had short-circuited the moment his twinkling grey eyes met her own, looking right past the Supergirl persona everyone else saw, it was fortunate that Luis took advantage of the opportunity to shout, “A puppy!”

Kara huffed an equally embarrassed and relieved laugh, shrugging as the crowd howled. “A puppy, I suppose.”

Mon-El grinned. “A puppy it is then, Supergirl.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM A FLUFF TRASH CAN. 
> 
> Hope to have the second part up this week *fingers crossed*
> 
> Kudos and comments are lovely presents, so don't hesitate to leave them below and let me know what you think! <3


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara finds out how Mon-El ended up at the festival + mini Christmas celebration at the DEO featuring Karamel avoiding their feelings lmao

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting shit late is just becoming on brand for me ajgkgjfkj

Kara somewhat dazedly made her way back to Anna with a candy cane of her own in hand and a minute or two to spare. Her interaction with Mon-El had her emotions in a flurry and she was five seconds away from pinching herself to check if this was maybe all just a really weird dream. She was puzzled as to how he’d even ended up as Santa in the first place because after the disasters of interning at CatCo and then being muscle for hire, she knew Mon-El was looking for a job, but nearly everyone helping with the festival besides Anna and her assistants were volunteers so it was doubtful that posing as Santa for a few hours was a paying gig. Anna would surely know, having coordinated everything, but Kara wasn’t sure how to broach the subject without seeming oddly invested.

As it turned out, she didn’t even have to bring it up herself because Anna started the conversation with a teasing glint in her eyes as she mentioned the encounter, having been close enough to get a general sense of what was going on.

Kara willed herself to not to bury her face in her hands as she laughed nervously in response, ducking her head to hide her blush instead. “The things we do for kids, right?”

“Tell me about it,” Anna replied with a smile, tucking a stray piece of dark hair underneath her knit hat. “I’m just glad we’re still able to have a Santa. The usual guy we had lined up called me this morning while we were setting up saying he’d come down with a really bad cold so I was just about to call my back-up, hoping he wasn’t busy, and then this guy–Mike–just appeared out of nowhere and said he’d do it.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, it was the strangest thing, a real Christmas miracle. If he hadn’t shown up, we might’ve had to do the festival without any Santa. Not the worst thing in the world, but a lot of kids would’ve been disappointed. He helped us set up too. Did a lot of the heavy lifting.”

Worry briefly swirled in Kara’s stomach at hearing that, hoping Mon-El hadn’t exposed himself in trying to help, but Anna didn’t seem fazed in the least.

“Did he ask for any kind of payment?” she asked a bit hesitantly after clearing her throat.

Anna shook her head. “I made sure to clarify from the get-go that it was volunteering, that we had no money to pay him.” The brunette chuckled as she went on. “He said it was fine as long as we didn’t kidnap him or try to kill him.”

Kara couldn’t stop the short laugh that burst out of her. _Oh, Mon-El. Only you could joke about almost dying at the hands of Cadmus twice_. “Well, he, uh, seems to be a real hit with the kids,” she said with a quick glance towards the long line that didn’t seem to have gotten any shorter.

“Yeah,” Anna agreed just as a young volunteer came up to them, “I might have to see if I can snag him for some events next year too.”

“The kids are ready, Anna.”

“Thanks, Taylor. You’re up, Supergirl,” she said, grinning as she handed Kara a mic.

The holiday music still played in the background, but at least half of the crowd was quieting down as they gathered in front of the stage where the children would perform. Kara gave the audience a gentle smile before beginning to speak.

“Good afternoon and thank you all for being here and making the 15th annual Children’s Holiday Fest a success.” She paused for a moment to allow for the scattered applause.

“When I first came to Earth, I soon grew to love the many different holidays held here, particularly those celebrated this season. Though I don’t share a religious or historical connection to Christmas, I’d have to say that it’s become my favorite holiday for a reason close to my heart, which is in fact the theme of today’s production. It’s a story that serves to remind us all to care for the stranger, no matter their background, with the heart of a child, and to–” Kara swallowed, thinking of the aliens that walked into the dive bar just a few weeks ago, not knowing they wouldn’t make it back home, “– to always cherish our loved ones.”

Her eyes roamed across the crowd, catching on the line for Santa that was still going as Mon-El balanced a pair of toddler twins. “It’s a story about how people can surprise you, in the best way possible, and I think everyone here will be surprised by what these talented kids have in store for us. So without further ado, it’s my honor to introduce the National City Little Theatre.”

 

~

 

“Missed you this morning,” Alex’s voice came from behind her.

Kara turned to see her sister holding out a Christmas tree sugar cookie. “Yeah, sorry, Snapper made me go in early,” she replied with a sigh, gladly taking the offering. “I swear he’s the real-life Grinch.”

Frothy eggnog and bubbly sparkling cider (non-alcoholic, of course) were being passed around as everyone raised a toast, the mood light and chatter heavy in the DEO as the usual workday came to a close on Christmas Eve. Though J’onn wouldn’t allow a full-blown holiday party in order to not disrupt essential operations, he still made sure to give everyone a little treat as they clocked out. About two-thirds of the DEO’s employees worked on Christmas Eve and less than half would work on Christmas. Keeping the city safe was a constant task, but more often than not, any aliens looking to cause trouble at least had the good sense to take a break on the holidays.

Kara poured herself a glass of cider, inhaling the fruity scent, as she snuck a glance at Mon-El across the room who was laughing with Winn and Agent Demos.

She’d taken off early from the festival yesterday to help with a thankfully non-casulty car accident, and Mon-El was still busy as Santa anyway, so they hadn’t seen each other since. Which was probably for the best because while he was being his friendly teasing self, she apparently turned into a flustered mess every time he was near. She couldn’t fault him for not remembering their kiss, she just hated that _she_ couldn’t seem to _forget_ about it. Most of all, everything just felt so confusing since then, and she hated feeling confused.

“Well, I saw Supergirl made the news today,” Alex said, grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

Kara groaned in response, knowing exactly what she was referring to, as she shoved half of the sugar cookie in her mouth, shooting her sister a glare.

“What? Come on, it was sweet!”

“What’s sweet?” Winn asked, wiping some crumbs from his mouth as he came up to them.

“Mmm,” Alex mumbled in reply as she took a sip of eggnog while reaching for her phone at the same time.

“Nothing,” Kara said with another glare that went unnoticed. “Just routine Supergirl stuff.”

But Alex had already pulled up the news app on her phone, holding it out towards Winn. “They actually got a picture of Kara–well, Supergirl–with Santa, technically the first one ever. I tried to get her to do one her first year on Earth, but once she found out that Santa is all made up and actually not an alien, she said it was dumb and refused to do it,” Alex snorted.

“Wait, wait, wait. Are we talking about the same Kara here? The Kara that _loves_ Christmas?” Winn asked, his face quickly lighting up with a wide smile.

“Hey, I can appreciate all the other parts of Christmas! Besides, that Santa was creepy! Even you admitted it later, Alex. Santa’s not so bad if–”

“Oh, look, it’s us,” Mon-El cut in with a nonchalant grin, peeking over Winn’s shoulder to see Alex’s phone as he joined them.

“Yeah, they actually got a picture of Supergirl with Santa,” Alex repeated from earlier before taking another drink of eggnog, missing the implication of what Mon-El had said. “It’s a Christmas miracle.”

Mon-El nodded, briefly glancing over at Kara with that infuriating smirk of his, and flying away at supersonic speed suddenly sounded like a pretty good option right about now.

“Yeah, I know. I was there as Santa,” he laughed, and she swore his eyes were twinkling. _Twinkling_.

Alex nearly spit out her eggnog while Winn choked on his snowman cookie, and Kara? Kara honestly didn’t have a clue what kind of expression she was making or what she was feeling at the moment.

“Holy shit,” Alex blurted before bursting into laughter.

Winn recovered from his mild choking fit with a pat on the back from Mon-El and just looked mostly confused. “That’s _you_ in the Santa costume? Wha–how?”

“I was walking by there and I’d just remembered Alex saying Supergirl was invited when I overheard Anna, the event coordinator, talking on the phone about not having a Santa, and I don’t know,” Mon-El shrugged with a sheepish smile, “I just told her I’d do it. I’ve seen enough Netflix movies to know Santa’s important for Christmas, I couldn’t just let all those kids be disappointed.” He scratched his jaw, chuckling. “But yeah, it was fun. I really wasn’t expecting Kara to be _there_.”

“Well, I wasn’t expecting you at all,” she answered, her tone coming out more defensive than intended as she tried to scrabble for a hold on her swirling emotions. The urge to punch him wasn’t necessarily a new one, but the desire to grab him by the shoulders, crash her mouth to his, and find out if he tasted like cider certainly was.

Alex wiped at her eyes, still chuckling and shaking her head. “This is already the best Christmas ever. I’m getting that picture printed and framed.”

“Don’t you dare.”

“It’s already on the internet, which means it exists forever,” Winn added.

“Exactly,” Alex confirmed with a mischievous grin, slinging an arm around his shoulders. “So there’s no reason I can’t get it printed and framed to document this momentous Earth milestone. Huh, I wonder if Mom’s seen it?”

Kara groaned and mistakenly met Mon-El’s eyes, who gave her a stupidly adorable smile. “My blood sugar’s too low for this,” she muttered, turning on her heel and stalking towards the cookie table.

After grabbing a large handful of festively-shaped and decorated cookies, she managed to make it up to the balcony with minimal interactions as agents started heading home. It was already quite dark, though the pale heavy clouds allowed for a muted light over the city with snow expected to start within the hour. Kara breathed in the crisp air and munched on the sugar cookies one by one. This spot always helped clear her head and she needed that desperately at the moment.

“Hey.”

Kara turned to see Mon-El himself standing a few steps away, hands behind his back and looking uncharacteristically hesitant.

“Hey,” she said, swallowing her last mouthful of buttery softness and brushing the crumbs off her hands.

“You’re not mad at me, are you?”

“No, I’m–” Kara stopped abruptly, pausing for just a second, before turning and socking him in the arm.

“Ow!”

“Okay, now I’m not mad,” she snickered, pleased with herself for regaining the upper hand.

“I probably deserved that a little,” Mon-El admitted, the corner of his mouth twitching. “But um, I-I got you something,” he added quickly before coming closer and bringing his hands forward.

“Oh, you didn’t–” she started, but her protest turned into a surprised snort of laughter when she laid eyes on the small fluffy plush puppy in his grip, complete with a tiny superhero outfit and cape around its neck.

“I didn’t even know they had these!” she exclaimed. He waited until she took the puppy, her fingers tracing over the House of El insignia on the outfit that matched the one on her chest, before replying.

“Yep, there’s a little gift shop on Harris Street that sells them.” He moved to her side and they both leaned against the edge.

“It’s adorable. Thank you,” Kara said with a laugh, peeking up at him through her lashes.

“So, Supergirl got what she wanted for Christmas, but what does Kara Zor-El want?” A teasing smile graced his face, but there was a seriousness in his eyes that left her at a loss for a second.

“What if she wants a puppy for Christmas too?” she finally asked with a lopsided smile.

“Fair enough. But is that really what you’d wish for?”

Kara took a deep breath, resting her arms back on the concrete edge and looking up at the sheet of clouds over the city. “I’m not even sure I’d know what to wish for.”

A long moment of silence stretched between them. “Yeah, I know what you mean,” Mon-El replied quietly.

And she knew he did. Regardless of what she thought about Daxam, it was still a part of Mon-El, just like Krypton was a part of her, and that ache of familiarity torn away so suddenly would probably never go away.

_I wish my parents were here with me. I wish I could feel normal on this planet._ When she turned her head slightly to sneak a glance at him, she found him already gazing at her with impossibly soft eyes.

“Kara–”

“Mon-El–”

They both stopped short and chuckled awkwardly.

“Go ahead,” Mon-El said with a shy smile, scratching his neck.

“I–” she started again, feeling her cheeks heat up. _I wish you remembered our kiss._ She couldn’t bring herself to mention it aloud. “If you had to end up on Earth, I’m glad it was here,” she said after a moment, her voice careful and soft.

Surprise flashed across Mon-El’s face at first, but it quickly morphed into a genuine smile, his dimples denting his cheeks. “Me too,” he said, leaning over and bumping her shoulder lightly with his own. “You’re not so bad for a Kryptonian.”

“Shut up,” Kara laughed, bumping him back. With the view of the city below, his warmth next to her, and the plush puppy in her hand, she realized this was really the first time she’d let herself relax around him since their kiss. _See? Stop overthinking and overcomplicating things. Just be his friend, that’s what he needs._

“You know something else that those Netflix Christmas movies always have?” Mon-El asked, breaking through her thoughts. He eyed the sky pensively.

Kara blinked at him just as the first snowflakes began to flutter down.

A slow grin spread across Mon-El’s face. “Snowball fights.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alex is totally the OG Karamel shipper and you can't tell me otherwise. Loved writing the part where she's teasing Kara because she totally knows these two dorks are into each other and they don't even realize lmao
> 
> I don't think I'll be adding anymore to this fic, but if you wanted to see a Karamel snowball fight, then don't worry! Still plenty of opportunities for that! This fic is definitely NOT the last Christmas-related one I'll be writing, canon-verse or otherwise ;)
> 
> I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and that y'all enjoyed this fic! Kudos and comments are SUPER appreciated! <3


End file.
